Dog owners tend to train their dogs incorrectly because they fail to realize that dogs are very social creatures that depend on their human friends to direct their behavior. As a result, many dog owners make severaltraining mistakes that make it more difficult to train their dogs properly.
Here are some of the top training mistakes that most dog owners make that demonstrate this point.
–Many dog owners train their dogs inconsistently.
Many dog owners have trouble asking their dogs to do things the same way each time. This inconsistency can make it difficult to effectively train a dog because it makes it almost impossible for the dog to understand want their humans want them to do. As a result, most dog owners who are inconsistent with their behavior expectations tend to have trouble teaching their dogs to do things such as sitting down in appropriate places and using the bathroom outside instead of on the floor.
–Many owners also tend to give their dogs too much grief for doing things wrong and not enough praise when they do something right.
Many owners tend to overly punish their dogs when they do something wrong and under- appreciate the things that they do right. This can make it difficult to train a dog because dogs need positive reinforcement to learn how to do things we’d like them to do.
As a result, most dog owners that only see the negative things their pets do tend to have trouble teaching their dogs basic social skills because they end up only reinforcing negative behavior by consistently “awarding” it with attention. This demonstrates to the dog that the bad stuff he’s doing will get him the most attention. When this happens, socializing the dog becomes almost impossible.
–Another mistake dog owners tend to make is that they tend to start advanced training way too early.
Many owners can’t wait to start training their puppies the things they need to properly socialize them. This impatience can get owners into a lot of trouble because most puppies aren’t physically or mentally ready to learn to do things such as walking on a leash or staying in one place.
As a result, owners who try to hurry things along are doing the same thing over-eager parents would do if they try to teach their 3 year old how to drive a car. Would you do that to your 3 year old? Of course not! The same reasoning should apply to socializing your puppies. Let them have their fun till they are about 4-6 months old. This will give them enough time to develop the physical and mental maturity that need to properly socialize them.
–Finally, dog owners tend to also offer too many treats to their dogs while training them.
Giving your dog a jerky snap or a doggie bone is a great way to reward good behavior. However, over-feeding your dog these delicious treats can make it hard to properly train your dog because it teaches your dog that the only time to behave properly is when Mommy or Daddy gives him a treat. This makes it important to use treats only occasionally to teach the dog he needs to behave himself all of the time. When you do this, it makes it much more fun to train your dog because he then knows that he can look forward to a treat while behaving himself at the same time!
Ronny Sikes is an avid dog lover and the resident training consultant for Pet-Super-Store.com, visit the site for a killer selections of dog kennels and pet fences.
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